A divided Argentine congress and society vote to decriminalize abortion

President Mauricio Macri although he has declared himself pro life, last March he supported the initiative calling for a mature and responsible debate

Pro and anti-abortion activists have called their followers to Congress to accompany the vote on Wednesday afternoon.A number of leading political and cultural figures have spoken out on the bill in the last few days, while a handful of public schools have been “occupied” by students

Argentina's Lower House will vote on Wednesday a bill to decriminalize elective abortion without judicial authorization in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. In Argentina abortion is only allowed when the mother's life is at risk or as a result of rape.

The bill that would make Argentina join Cuba and Uruguay as countries that effectively legalize abortion has sparked a wave of last minute tension among activists for and against the practice.

Observers believe, based on a current vote count, that the bill will not pass the Lower House. In effect of the 257 Deputies it is believed 109 will support the bill but 117 will reject it while, on Tuesday evening there were 27 who had not expressed their support.

President Mauricio Macri although he has declared himself pro life, last March he supported the initiative calling for a mature and responsible debate.

Pro and anti-abortion activists have called their followers to Congress to accompany the vote on Wednesday afternoon.

A number of leading political and cultural figures have spoken out on the bill in the last few days, while a handful of public schools have been “occupied” by students wishing to express their support for abortion.

National Education Minister Alejandro Finocchiaro weighed in on that issue saying: “There is no reason that justifies, in times of democracy, that an educational facility be 'occupied' this way”.
“It is not good that students occupy 10 colleges but it is [good] that more and more people think that this is not the right path” for students to express their beliefs, he told Radio Mitre.
“Yesterday there were 20 meetings and half of the colleges were occupied. In previous years, we would have seen between 70 and 80 schools occupied”, he added.

Several NGOs argue that in Argentina over a hundred women, mostly of low income, die because of illegal abortions. Some half a million women are believed to undergo abortions in the country, which makes it a public health problem

Top Comments

How sad is the role of Peronism that, naked in front of society, has lost the course of history and the oligarchic alliance of Mauricio Macri took the initiative in the search for social problems.

I hope that this is the beginning of the definitive end for populist conservatism.

Jun 14th, 2018 - 03:28 pm +2

pgerman

After 70 years of Peronist political hegemony, and its conservative alliance with the Catholic Church, the fascist unions and the military, which numbed and froze all social change, the new political stage allows the debate of fundamental issues for all Western society .

Destroying the myth of the return of the old regime the unrestricted decriminalization of abortion will be debated in the Argentine Congress today thanks to the green light of Mauricio Macri and his political alliance.

To the fury of Pope Francis I, head of a foreign state that shamelessly intrudes on the internal politics of Argentina.

I would like to know if any islander is so kind, if the abortion is free and absolutely legal in the Islands.

Jun 13th, 2018 - 11:32 am +1

DemonTree

The Chamber of Deputies passed it, now it has to go to the senate.

Trollboy, I didn't know you were so miffed at the Pope not visiting. I wonder if it really would have made a difference - seems kind of petty if so.